Tackling the issue of bullying

Helping your kids understand why bullying should not be tolerated

At some stage during your children’s school experience, it is likely that they will confront the issue of bullying. This happens to most kids at some stage during their schooling life but is even more likely to occur with interracial children.

This is in part because most children have not encountered anything different in their short lives and their usual reaction to these types of issues is to act out and to exclude. This largely due to their parents not having enlightened them about the different types of people in the world.

Below are some tips on how you can raise the topic of bullying with your child in case they are unfortunate enough to experience it once they have started school.

Explain the issue of bullying

Make sure that at some stage of your child’s early development you make them aware of the issue of bullying and what it entails. Make them aware that if they are bullied this is not acceptable behavior and they must communicate it to an adult, whether a teacher, you or somebody else that is trustworthy. At the same time make them aware that it is also not acceptable for them to bully another child and the hurt this can cause.

Make them aware that you are there for them

Make sure during this conversation that your child is well aware that you want them to come to you immediately if bullied and that this is nothing to be ashamed of.

Do not encourage them to fight back

This is a bad developmental trait to encourage. You do not want your child to fight violence with violence, make them aware that they need to talk to someone about the issue and that there is no shame in tackling the problem via confiding in somebody trustworthy.

We hope that this helps when having a conversation with your child about the bullying issue.